A geyser of voter participation in the Oct. 7 recall election -- nearly 500,000 absentee ballots have already been cast -- has slowed to a dribble since Monday's federal appellate court ruling postponing the election until March.

Elections officials around the state say there has been a dramatic drop in absentee balloting and voter registrations.

The numbers had been about what elections officials see for a regular statewide election for governor -- a level they consider extraordinary in light of the strange, off-year timing of the recall election.

"I think people think the election has been called off, and it really hasn't," said Madelyn De Justo of the Marin County registrar of voters office. "It's unbelievable, the falloff."

A tally by the California secretary of state shows that as of late Thursday afternoon 498,064 absentee ballots had been cast -- delivered by mail or by those walking into county offices to vote absentee on the spot.

The volume of ballots already cast has prompted some to assert that the federal court's ruling, if it's upheld, will disenfranchise more voters than the punch-card technology that prompted judges to postpone the election.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed to stop the election say the punch-card ballots will cause a miscount in the six California counties still using the technology, leading to the possible disenfranchisement of an estimated 40,000 voters.

The growing anxiety among elections officials is that voters have misinterpreted the federal court ruling and don't realize the election hasn't formally been postponed or that another legal ruling may reinstate the Oct. 7 date.

"There is voter confusion, without a doubt," said Alma Rosas, spokeswoman for the Santa Clara County registrar of voters. "The election is still on."

100 PEOPLE A DAY

In Santa Clara County, for example, about 100 people a day were going into the elections office in San Jose, before the court ruling, to cast absentee ballots on the spot. On Wednesday, it was 43, Rosas said.

In Marin, about 5,000 absentee ballots were arriving in the mail every day. After the court's ruling on Monday, it dropped to 1,500, and the number of requests by voters for absentee ballots has gone down by half.

"The court, in effect, has stopped the participation rate, which is exactly what they were trying not to do," Paule said. "It's a terrible irony."

Throughout the Bay Area and the state, officials reported sharp declines in voter registration and absentee balloting since Monday's ruling.

In San Diego County, the number of voters going to the elections office to cast an absentee vote went down by half, said Registrar of Voters Sally McPherson.

In Sacramento County, an average of 100 people per day were going into the elections office to cast an absentee ballot -- on Wednesday, 12 went in.

In Mendocino County, 350 absentee applications were being processed a day --

that was down to 60 on Wednesday.

"I think people just don't know what to do," said Mendocino County elections chief Marsha Wharff. "Right now, they're not sure if they should hold onto the ballot, mail it in. They're probably waiting to see."

ORDERS FROM SHELLEY

Under instructions from Secretary of State Kevin Shelley, local elections officials are proceeding as though the election still is scheduled for Oct. 7 - - issuing absentee ballots, accepting complete ballots and pushing for voter registration by the election deadline of Sept. 22.

And they're fending off inquiries from voters who want to know if their absentee ballot will be invalidated or if they can get their ballot back.

"This thing is continuing," said De Justo. "It really hasn't been called off and until the final decision, voters need to keep requesting absentees, filing absentees and registering."

The uncertainty of the election is particularly aggravating for elections officials who have worked for years to combat declining voter participation.

"All the California counties had a really short time period to plan for all this, and I think all the counties did a fantastic job of getting ready. To have this thrown into the middle -- it's a little bit frustrating," said McPherson.

Officials also are worried that the dwindling voter interest could suddenly become an avalanche again, if the Oct. 7 election date is reinstated.

"There would be a huge increase, right at the last minute," said Ginnold. "I really don't know what to expect. This is so strange, this whole election."

REAL UNCERTAINTY

The uncertainty extends to who might be most harmed should the absentees be invalidated by changing the election date.